Part 29~<br><br>Throughout the rest of the plane ride, Max and Liz are waging individual internal battles. Max is debating his decision about backing off of Liz and Liz is debating what she wants from him. They exchange glances every once in a while, only to look away quickly and begin their debates again.<br><br>Liz can instantly feel the change in climates as the plane lands and she takes her sweater off, tying it around her waist. As they all stand up and wait to get off the plane, she feels Max’s hand on the small of her back, guiding her to stand in front of him as he moves back in the aisle. She turns and smiles up at him, really hoping that things won’t be weird between them now.<br><br>As they make their way into the crowded airport, she’s suddenly hit with the change in culture from Europe to Mexico. There are people everywhere, and it seems as if everyone is talking loudly and excitedly in Spanish. Weaving their way through the crowds, Max keeps his hand on Liz as they make their way to baggage claim to meet the others and pick up their suitcases. <br><br>Max pulls off two of their suitcases and Jesse and Michael grab the other two and they head toward customs. Once they’re safely, and officially in Mexico, they walk outside into the blazing heat and grab a van that takes them to the Pink Zone to the Parque Ensenada hotel. <br><br>As they ride, Liz keeps her eye out the window memorizing their route and studying the layout of the city. She makes notes in her small notebook about landmarks and major streets and areas that seem to have a lot of activity. <br><br>Michael nudges Maria and nods toward Liz. “Does she always do that?”<br><br>Maria looks toward Liz and says, “Huh? Oh, yah.”<br><br>Michael nods, impressed and turns toward Jesse. He’s pointing things out to Isabel and telling her what they are and Michael thinks Jesse will be more comfortable here than in France since he can already speak Spanish. In Paris, he had gotten his job at the tourist shop mainly because he could help the Spanish and English speaking customers. Kyle and Serena are sitting in front of him, Kyle with his arm over the back of the seat behind her. He makes a mental note to talk to Max and Isabel about Kyle’s new power and working with him to develop it more. It could come in handy in the future.<br><br>As everyone gathers in the lobby of the hotel, Maria prepares to check in and hesitantly says, “Um…how many rooms should I get?” She looks at Liz, then Max…unsure if she should get them one room or two.<br><br>Liz looks around to see everyone’s eyes on her and Max and she glances up at him before saying, “Oh…um…we shouldn’t spend more money than we have to. See if you can get a room with two beds…Max and I can stay in there.” She looks up to see if this is ok with him and he nods.<br><br>Maria nods, not quite knowing what’s going on with those two, and walks to the counter to get them checked in. Thirty minutes later they’re all getting settled in their rooms after they make plans to get some rest, then gather for a meeting to decide what to do next.<br><br>Standing just inside their door, Max and Liz look around their room and Liz asks, “Which bed do you want?”<br><br>Max turns to her and says, “I’ll take the one by the door. Is that ok?”<br><br>She nods and carries her bag over to the bed by the window and falls on it in exhaustion. She turns her head to see Max sitting on the edge of his bed, still looking around the room and she sits up. “Max, is this weird now…between us? Because I don’t want it to be…I…I want us to be ok.”<br><br>He looks over at her a moment and says, “I don’t want that either.” He runs his hand through his hair and smiles over at her. “We’ll be ok.”<br><br>Liz hears the sadness in his voice as he looks down to the ground and regret surges through her. She feels an overwhelming need to go to him and just lose herself in him…let him wrap his arms around her and make everything alright again. Instead, she just nods and kicks off her shoes, lying back on the bed to catch a couple of hours of sleep.<br><br>Once they’re all rested, they meet in Max and Liz’s room to discuss their next steps. Two pairs are going to split up and patrol the neighborhood, finding places for them to stand guard and inspecting their surroundings. Isabel and Serena are going to begin their search for a more permanent place to live while Kyle and Jesse are going to get them supplies. Satisfied that they have a plan, they all split up and carry out their tasks.<br><br>Later that evening, after her patrol with Michael, Liz hears Isabel and Serena out in the hall. When she steps into the hall, Isabel sees her and says, “We didn’t find <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> anything</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->.” They look exhausted and Liz sympathizes…looking for a place to live is never much fun. And with as many people as they have now, she knows it’s going to be more difficult.<br><br>“That’s ok.” Liz tells her. “More of us can go tomorrow...we’ll get more area covered.”<br><br>“Is Max back?” Isabel asks her.<br><br>Shaking her head, Liz says, “No, he and Maria are still out patrolling.”<br><br>“Oh. Well, I’m getting in the shower, I feel like I’m covered in grime.” Isabel throws Liz a small smile and steps into her room. <br><br>Liz looks around the empty hallway, unsure of what to do. She saw Serena go in her room to join Kyle and she doesn’t want to bother them. Sighing, she walks back in her room and decides to read more of the old paperback she’s been carrying around with her. Before settling down with her book, she looks out the window to see Michael sitting out front of the hotel on the street looking bored.<br><br>Two hours later, she looks up when the door opens and sees a tired looking Max walk in. “Hey. How’d it go?”<br><br>Max dumps his backpack on the bed and says, “Fine…we covered a lot of area. It looks good.”<br><br>“Good.” Liz smiles at him. “Isabel and Serena didn’t find anywhere for us to live today. I guess we’ll all go apartment hunting tomorrow.”<br><br>“We passed a couple of places today that looked like they might be decent.” Max tells her. As he kicks off his shoes he says, “I’m gonna jump in the shower quick.” He takes the few steps it takes to reach her and raises his hand to the back of her head. When he lowers his hand again, he looks down at her and says, “Your hair…you forgot to change it back.” And he turns to walk away from her. <br><br>Liz watches him disappear into the bathroom and lets out the breath she didn’t know she was holding. Getting up, she walks to the mirror above the dresser and sees that he changed it back for her from the short black style she had earlier. Shaking her head, she smiles at herself. What was she thinking? That he was going to touch her for some other reason that wasn’t totally innocent? <br><br>Max emerges from the bathroom expecting to see Liz but the room is empty. Sighing, he wonders how he’s going to survive spending every night in the same room with her, surrounded by her smell and the ever present surge of their connection. He knows it’s more practical for them to share a room, he just hopes it doesn’t kill him.<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><b> Paris, France</b><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>Matt Gerard is doing his best to pace the crowded hotel room in agitation. Agents are swarming everywhere, but the two only two people on the room Gerard is focused on are the two men sitting defeatedly on the couch. “So let me get this straight. You’re convinced you were mugged and these four chased off your attackers and helped you?” He points to the photos on the small table in front of them.<br><br>“Um…yah. It was them, but it…wasn’t.” The one named Jeffries says, a confused look on his face. “I don’t know how to explain it. I look at these pictures, and I know it was them…but at the time, I didn’t have any idea.”<br><br>Letting out a frustrated sound, Gerard yells, “Noll…get in here!”<br><br>Noll hurries into the sitting area and says, “I think we have something. Eight tickets were purchased yesterday, in cash, in Brussels. It has to be them. We’re faxing pictures now.”<br><br>“Where did they go?” Gerard demands.<br><br>“Mexico City.”<br><br>“Confirm their identity, then pack everyone up…we’re going to Mexico.” Gerard stomps out of the room, shooting a look of disdain at the two agents on the couch. <br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><b> Roswell, New Mexico</b><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>“Here’s your coffee, Sheriff.” Jeff Parker slides the thermos across the Crashdown counter to Jim Valenti. He was promoted back to Sheriff the year before. <br><br>“Thank you, Jeff. See you later.” He tips his hat at Jeff and turns to leave the Crashdown. As he walks down the street, Jim reflects on how calm things have been in Roswell since the kids left. It’s one of the reasons he was promoted. But he still keeps an eye on strangers, constantly looking for anyone who might ask strange questions about the strange disappearance of the eight Roswell teens. Chuckling to himself, he thinks they’re not teens anymore. His son will be 22 in a few months and as he looks around at all the Christmas decorations he feels a heaviness in his heart.<br><br>He turns the corner and walks into the local library, heading straight toward the familiar Internet section as he nods and smiles at the librarian. “Afternoon, Gladys.”<br><br>“Afternoon, Sheriff.” She says to him before getting back to stamping the books in front of her.<br><br>Sitting down at one of the terminals, he logs onto Hotmail and checks for any new emails. He’s suddenly elated to find one waiting for him from
zenmaster32@hotmail.com. <br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> Hola,<br>Left for vacation yesterday. The kids are kind of anxious, but they’ll be happy once we settle in to a routine. How’s life in Roswell these days? Tell everyone we said hello.<br><br>Lots of love,<br>Harvey</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br>Jim leans back in his seat and rereads the words on the screen. So they had to move…someone was onto them, that’s why he said they were anxious. He swallows and leans forward, hitting the reply button.<br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> Life in Roswell is calm…same old, same old. I haven’t heard from our friends since you moved. Hope all is well with you…be careful and enjoy your vacation. Everyone misses you. The excitement level has dropped since you left.<br><br>Love,<br>Jim</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> <br><br>Once he sends the email, he deletes the original. He hears from Kyle about once every few weeks letting him know in his abstract way that they’re all ok. It’s been hard not knowing where they’re at, but he’s just thankful that Kyle gets the chance to check in every once in a while.<br><br>Logging out of the computer, Jim adjusts his hat, picks up his thermos and heads out of the library. Gladys watches him go with a smile and wave and sighs at the near-empty library once he’s gone. A few minutes later, a man with a novelty alien t-shirt and shorts on steps out from the stack, looking toward the door that Jim Valenti just walked out of. Silently slipping out of the library, he fishes a cell phone out of his pocket and hits the speed dial.<br><br>“It’s confirmed. The targets have moved. They sent a message to the Sheriff.”<br><br>“Keep an eye on him.” The voice on the other end tells him and he ends the call, dropping the phone back in his cargo shorts along with the binoculars he used to read Jim’s email.<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><b> Mexico City</b><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>After two weeks of intensive searching, they found a great place to live…that just happened to be near their hotel in the Pink Zone. They found it by chance and loads of luck. Maria found a job at a gift shop and the owner told her about some friends of hers that owned a large townhouse – a rarity reserved only for the wealthy in that section of the city – and had guest quarters behind them that they had been trying to rent out. They had been extremely selective in prospective tenants, but with the shop owner’s recommendation Maria got them an interview with the couple.<br><br>It was perfect. The perfect location, it was off the street and secluded. With three bedrooms and a loft, it was the largest place they’d seen that they could afford. Unfortunately, Max and Liz were the odd ones out and relegated to the loft. <br><br>Max decided he was in hell having to share a bed with Liz and not be able to touch her, but the only other option was for one of them to sleep on the couch. Liz seemed more and more distracted with each day that passed and Max didn’t know if it was because of the move or if it was because of him. She barely looked at him anymore and if they were all hanging out, she never joined them…instead choosing to patrol. He was worried and knew by conversations between Maria, Isabel and Serena that he wasn’t the only one.<br><br>The situation isn’t improved today when Liz gets back from her ritual early morning run and nods curtly at him, Isabel and Jesse before running off to the bathroom.<br><br>“Max, maybe you should talk to her.” Isabel says as they eat their breakfast.<br><br>“What do you think I can say that she’ll wanna listen to?” Max says. “She hardly gives me a glance anymore.”<br><br>Isabel sighs and looks down to the table. “Maria told me Liz hasn’t talked to her either.”<br><br>Max shrugs and looks in the direction of the bathroom. Everyone kept looking at him like he’s supposed to make Liz better, but he’s probably the last person that can accomplish that. <br><br>Isabel and Jesse found jobs together at a café down the street. They wanted to stay as close to home as possible after what happened in Paris. Isabel got off early that night and leaves without Jesse. When she walks around through the alley into the garden in front of their guest house, she sees Liz sitting alone in the grass and goes to sit next to her.<br><br>“Hey.” Isabel offers as she takes a seat.<br><br>“Hey. How was work?” Liz looks over at her as she plucks at some grass.<br><br>“Good.” <br><br>Liz nods and looks away. After a few minutes of silence, Liz looks over and asks, “Is something wrong?”<br><br>Isabel looks away, then back. “I don’t know…I…you know, we never really got a chance to talk. You know, about…after DC…about what happened in there.”<br><br>Liz just looks at her, wondering where she’s going with this. Then she realizes that Isabel never really had anyone to talk to about what happened to her because she hasn’t been with anyone else who was there with her. She’s been with Max, Michael and Jesse.<br><br>“Do you and Kyle ever talk about it?” Isabel asks her.<br><br>Liz thinks for a moment and says, “No, not really. We did, right after…but I guess…I guess we just never wanted to talk about it.”<br><br>Isabel studies her for a moment before admitting, “I have nightmares. And sometimes, it’ll just hit me…even when I’m awake. I can’t tell Jesse because he would freak. And Max…he’d just feel guilty.”<br><br>“Kyle told me you had it pretty good in there.” <br><br>Isabel looks surprised for a split second, then says, “Yah, I guess…compared to you guys, anyway. I hated them…so much…but I hated that I didn’t fight back like you and Kyle even more.”<br><br>“But you were smart. Look at what they did to me and Kyle for fighting back.” Liz says, understanding how she feels. “There’s nothing wrong with surviving the best way you can, Isabel.”<br><br>“I just feel…weak. You’re so strong, Liz…even in there…when they were doing terrible things to us. You were still strong.”<br><br>Liz looks down, plucking at the grass again. “I’m not so strong. It was mostly fear that drove me in there. I’m not strong.” She whispers the last part and Isabel can barely hear her.<br><br>Isabel leans in and takes Liz’s hand from the grass. “You’ve been through a lot. No one expects you to carry all of this yourself. You’re the strongest person I know, but even the strongest people need the support of the people around them.”<br><br>Liz looks over at Isabel wryly. “Who’s this pep talk for, anyway?”<br><br>Isabel sighs and says, “I’m…we’re worried about you Liz.”<br><br>“So now you guys are talking about me?” Liz gets defensive and jerks her hand away from Isabel.<br><br>“No! I mean…well, Maria and I have talked about how concerned we are.” She doesn’t want to tell her that she also talked to Max. She gets the feeling Liz wouldn’t take that very well.<br><br>“Well, I’m fine. There’s nothing for you to be worried about.”<br><br>Isabel doesn’t say anything as Liz turns her head away. Within seconds, she sees Liz struggling and her chin starts to quiver. “I…I…” Liz sounds like she’s about to say something, but when she looks over at Isabel, she bolts up and looks around nervously. “I’m going for a walk.” Taking a deep breath and plastering the fakest smile Isabel’s ever seen on her face, Liz says, “I’m fine, Isabel…just a little stressed with the move and everything. You don’t need to worry.”<br><br>Isabel looks up at her sadly as Liz’s eyes dart around the yard and she turns toward the alley, calling out behind her, “I’ll be back in about an hour.”<br><br>Sighing, Isabel stands up and walks inside. She sees Maria, Max and Kyle in the living room and says, “One of you really needs to talk to Liz. Now I know something’s wrong and she won’t talk to me.”<br><br>“Huh?” Kyle asks. “What do you mean?”<br><br>“I tried talking to her and she almost started crying…right before she took off for a walk.” Isabel sits on the floor.<br><br>“Crying? What did you say to her?” Maria asks.<br><br>“Nothing…nothing that would make her cry.” Isabel tells her defensively.<br><br>“Alright, let’s not get excited. Maybe this is just her usual moving jitters.” Kyle says, stopping a fight between Isabel and Maria before it starts.<br><br>“I don’t think so.” Maria says. “Is that really what you think?”<br><br>Kyle looks at Maria for a minute and concedes. “No, you’re right.” He looks at Max and sees that he’s not jumping at the opportunity to talk to Liz. “I’ll talk to her. Not that it would do any good. I don’t really think I’m the one she would listen to.”<br><br>Max sees everyone looking at him and he stands up. “I’ll go.” And he turns to leave, going to search for Liz. It doesn’t take long to find her, their connection leading him right to her. He finds her sitting on a swing set in a park a few blocks away. She’s aimlessly swinging back and forth with her head tilted back, looking up at the sky.<br><br>As he walks toward her, she says, “Did Isabel send you?”<br><br>He stops, surprised for a minute that she knew he was there. “No…well, kind of. She’s worried, so I thought I’d come.”<br><br>“You shouldn’t have. There’s nothing for her to be worried about.” She says, still not looking away from the sky.<br><br>Max sits down in the swing next to her and watches her swing. “Ok.”<br><br>Finally, she looks at him. “Ok? You’re not gonna grill me, too?”<br><br>Max shrugs. “What for? I know you, Liz. And I know something’s wrong…but I also know that if you wanna talk about it, you will. So, no grilling.”<br><br>She looks at him, confused, and sighs. “I don’t get it, Max.”<br><br>“Get what?”<br><br>“One minute you’re all over me, wanting me to talk to you…and now, it’s like you don’t even care.”<br><br>Max looks at her for a few moments, getting angry, and asks, “What is it you want, Liz? What do you want from me? When I let you know how much I want you, you get mad. And when I back off, you’re still mad. I can’t read <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> your</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> mind.”<br><br>Liz is shocked. She can’t remember Max ever talking to her like this. “Max…I…I…” She doesn’t really know what to say to him. “I’m sorry.”<br><br>“Don’t apologize to me, Liz.”<br><br>She looks to the ground and says, “How did we get like this? I didn’t mean to hurt you…us…like this.”<br><br>“Is that what all this is about…us?” Max didn’t think she’d been giving their relationship a second thought over the last two weeks.<br><br>Liz stands up and starts pacing. “It wasn’t…at least, I tried to make myself believe it wasn’t. I don’t know what I’m doing anymore, Max. I wish…sometimes…that I didn’t have my memory back. You were right before, it would be easier to be around you…because even though I remember being with you, I still don’t understand why I was…why I let you back in my life that way so easily.”<br><br>Max stands up and says, “Liz…” as he makes a move to reach for her.<br><br>But she takes a step back from him and continues. “No…I…it’s not just that I want everyone to be safe, or that I think I won’t be able to protect everyone. I <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> know</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> that if I get…close…to you again, that I’ll let you take over my life. I’ll let you consume me until there’s nothing left…and it scares me. How is that love, Max? How can I be scared of the power you have over me and…and love you at the same time?”<br><br>Max visibly flinches…feeling as though he’s been slapped. “Is that really what you think?” He asks, horrified. “You make me sound like some kind of…monster.” He takes a step away from her. “I left you alone, Liz…I did what you wanted because you said you wanted to be friends. But you’ve been shutting yourself off from me, from your friends, and now you’re trying to blame me for that, too. I love you, and I know I’ve made mistakes in the past, but you either forgive me or you don’t. Make up your mind, Liz, because this…I can’t do this anymore.”<br><br>Liz looks down at the ground and says softly, “I know…I…I’m not being fair.”<br><br>“No, you’re not. You’re not being fair to me…or yourself. You can stand there and say that <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> I</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> consume you? From what I’m hearing, you’re doing a pretty good job of doing that all by yourself. You’re turning yourself into some kind of martyr…and blaming me for it.” He runs his hand through his hair and says, “I don’t understand you anymore, Liz. I don’t understand how you can twist our love around like this.” Taking a few more steps away from her, he turns around and says, “I miss you…and I hope you can figure out what it is you want, because you can’t keep doing this to everyone…and to yourself.” Giving her one last look, he turns around and walks away.<br><br>Liz watches him go, a lonely tear rolling down her cheek, and she buries her face in her hands as she sinks to the ground. She’s so caught up in her emotions, in everything Max said to her, that she doesn’t see the large SUV that pulls up on the street next to the park. And she doesn’t see the four men that get out of it and walk toward her…until it’s too late.<br><br>~TBC~ <p></center><center><FONT COLOR="B22222"><i>You're going to be the death of me.</i><br>Obi Wan Kenobi to Anakin Skywalker<br><font color="B8860B"><b>Col Threadkiller is the <i>coolest!</i></b><img src=
http://www.roswell-orbs.com/smilies/coo ... </p><i></i>